Three former OpenAI safety researchers published an open letter on Thursday
saying they were abruptly dismissed last week and warning the moves will have a
"chilling effect" on company culture, Business Insider reported. Mikita Balesni,
an AI alignment researcher, posted the letter to OpenAI's safety committee; the
two other signatories also worked on AI safety. OpenAI said an internal
investigation found the three violated company policies on access to and
handling of sensitive information. The researchers said they were only given
verbal explanations for their dismissals, maintain their actions were within
their job duties, and worry colleagues may now be "afraid to speak up" or
"hesitant to undertake certain work."
